Chapter 5

Cloud stumbled backwards and fell onto the wooden floor. His eyes grew wide with horror as flashes of Aeris being stabbed by the mighty Sephiroth once again haunted his mind. How Aeris' face was twisted with agony, and what Sephiroth hissed, Cloud could remember everything on that fateful day. "... The Promised Land is my mothers' and mine.... forever..." Sephiroth's eerie words hissed Cloud's ears. Cloud closed his eyes and clutched his ears. "NO.. NO.. NOOOOO!!"

"Cloud? What's wrong??" Aeris ran towards him and grabbed him by his broad shoulders.

Cloud flashed his eyes open and panted. "Aeris... please... don't leave us again... please!!" The rest of the gang too looked at Aeris anxiously.

"Let us help you, Aeris!" Yuffie stammered, as tears began to well up near her delightful brown eyes.

Aeris smiled sorrowfully as she withdrew her tender hands.

"I'm sorry."

Everyone gasped. Cloud's eyebrows twitched. "No... Aeris, we'll help you hunt down that Sephiroth! If we can beat him the last time, i'm sure we could do it once again! Right?" "Aeris, we couldn't let you die again!" Cid said hoarsely. "But i'm already dead!" Aeris cut in sharply. Cloud shook his head furiously. "No! You are not!" He touched her pale face as his eyes squinted with sadness. "You are alive... Aeris.... please..." Aeris took his heavy hands and whispered silently.

"I'm sorry."

Cloud closed his eyes as silent tears streamed down his cheeks. Aeris stood up and tied her hair into a ponytail. "I'm really sorry, my friends. My quest is to destroy Sephiroth once and for all, and i have to do it alone." Barret interrupted gruffly, "Can we do something... at least??"

Before Aeris could reply, a great, brilliant white light appeared in the room. The light faded, revealing another beautiful angel, with hair like the most precious gold, and eyes with the deepest oceans, and with a huge piece of amethyst attached on her forehead. Aeris recognized her immediately.

"Ira."

Cloud glanced at the angel gingerly. "You are the one who spoke to me...?" Ira turned her head to him and nodded. "I'm Ira, the messenger from the Planet. I've came to revive Aeris into a immortal form, which is more powerful than her mortal self, as the evil one had turned himself into an immortal too."

"Sephiroth? Immortal?" Vincent whispered to himself.

"Yes. He had became an archangel, with the help of the condemned orb."

"The black materia..." Red XIII added.

"Indeed. His father, Hojo, somehow manipulated the powers, giving the orb with more drastic powers than before. Now, Sephiroth had absorbed the extreme powers, mortals don't stand a chance against him."

The crew's eyes were glued onto the ground, keeping really quiet. Red XIII seemed to understand what was going on. "But Ira, what does Aeris meant by her fate seems to crash with his?" Ira folded her arms as she spoke gravely, "Aeris' life is destined to destroy Sephiroth... maybe because she is the last Cetra, to protect the Planet from any danger. Sephiroth can only be destroyed and be gone forever by Aeris. Its seems that Aeris' and Sephiroth's lives are closely linked."

"Linked?" The crew gasped in unison, except Cloud. Cloud was staring at Ira in disbelief, and then turned his gaze onto Aeris, who was standing still beside Ira. Then, he spotted some thing gleaming against the light on her cheeks. It was... tears. "Tears?? Aeris... why are you crying?" Cloud whispered. Did she know unforeseen future of herself? Or she knows the dangers coming up next?? Cloud's head was full of probing questions.

"Yes. That's why i have to destroy Sephiroth all by my...."

Aeris words were interrupted by a crash.

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